Company Details – About ME. Lorraine Vers Le Midy. This beautifully hand coloured original antique map of the South Lorraine region of France – centering on the Moselle River with the city of Nancy to the north. To the south & the Meuse River to the west – by Gerard Mercator was published by Joducus Hondius in the 1638 edition of Mercators Atlas. (1563 – 1612), one of the most notable engravers of his time, is known for his work in association with many of the cartographers and publishers prominent at the end of the sixteenth and the beginning of the seventeenth century. In 1604 Hondius bought the plates of Mercator’s Atlas which, in spite of its excellence, had not competed successfully with the continuing demand of Abraham Ortelius’s. To meet this competition Hondius added about 40 maps to Mercator’s original number and from 1606 published enlarged editions in many languages, still under Mercator’s name but with his own name as publisher. These atlases have become known as the Mercator/Hondius series. The following year the maps were re-engraved in miniature form and issued as a pocket. After the death of Jodocus Hondius the Elder in 1612, work on the two atlases, folio and miniature, was carried on by his widow and sons, Jodocus II and Henricus, and eventually in conjunction with Jan Jansson in Amsterdam. In all, from 1606 onwards, nearly 50 editions with increasing numbers of maps with texts in the main European languages were printed. (Ref: Koeman; M&B; Tooley). Please note all items auctioned are genuine, we do not sell reproductions. A Certificate of Authenticity (COA) can be issued on request. This is an authentic antique map, published at the date stated above. It is not a modern copy. The term’original’ when applied means that it was printed at the date of publication. Map or Print’ means any image created by applying an inked block to paper under pressure using a printing press, by hand. Various materials were used for the inked block’s including wood engraving, steel engraving, copper-plate, wood cut and lithography. Condition Report: Paper thickness and quality: – Heavy, stained & weak in places Paper color: – off white Age of map color: – Original Colors used: – Yellow, pink, green General color appearance: – Authentic Paper size: – 21 1/2in x 17 1/2in (545mm x 445mm) Plate size: – 19 1/2in x 15 1/2in (500mm x 395mm) Margins: – Min 1/2in (15mm). Imperfections: Margins: – Uniform age toning Plate area: – Uniform age toning Verso: – Uniform age toning. Overall Quality (in Bold): Perfect/Fine/ Very Good /Good/Fair/Poor. Gerard Mercator (Kremer) 1512-94. For nearly sixty years, during the most important and exciting period in the story of modern map making, Gerard Mercator was the supreme cartographer, his name, second only to Ptolemy, synonymous with the form of map projection still in use today. Although not the inventor of this type of projection he was the first to apply it to navigational charts in such a form that compass bearings could be plotted on charts in straight lines, thereby providing seamen with a solution to an age-old problem of navigation at sea. His influence transformed land surveying and his researches and calculations led him to break away from Ptolemy’s conception of the size and outline of the Continents, drastically reducing the longitudinal length of Europe and Asia and altering the shape of the Old World as visualized in the early sixteenth century. Mercator was born in Rupelmonde in Flanders and studied in Louvain under Gemma Frisius, Dutch writer, astronomer and mathematician. He established himself there as a cartographer and instrument and globe maker, and when he was twenty-five drew and engraved his first map (of Palestine) and went on to produce a map of Flanders (1540) supervising the surveying and completing the drafting and engraving himself. The excellence of his work brought him the patronage of Charles V for whom he constructed a globe, but in spite of his favor with the Emperor he was caught up in the persecution of Lutheran Protestants and charged with heresy, fortunately without serious consequences. No doubt the fear of further persecution influenced his move in 1552 to Duisburg, where he continued the production of maps, globes and instruments culminating in large-scale maps of Europe (1554), the British Isles (1564) and the famous World Map on 18 sheets drawn to his new projection (1569). All these early maps are exceedingly rare, some being known by only one copy. In later life he devoted himself to his edition of the maps in Ptolemy’s Geographia, reproduced in his own engraving as nearly as possible in their original form, and to the preparation of his 3-volume collection of maps to which, for the first time, the word’Atlas’ was applied. The word was chosen, he wrote,’to honor the Titan, Atlas, King of Mauritania, a learned philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer’. The first two parts of the Atlas were published in 1585 and 1589 and the third, with the first two making a complete edition, in 1595 the year after Mercator’s death. Mercator’s sons and grandsons were all cartographers and made their contributions in various ways to the great atlas. Rumold, in particular, was responsible for the complete edition in 1595. After a second complete edition in 1602, the map plates were bought in 1604 by Jodocus Hondius who, with his sons, Jodocus II and Henricus, published enlarged editions which dominated the map market for the following twenty to thirty years. Classical Images was founded 1998 and has built an excellent reputation for supplying high quality original antiquarian works on paper at affordable prices. We carry an extensive inventory of antiquarian collectibles from the 15th to 19th century, a period that produced achievements by some of historys finest explorers, scientists and artists. Classical Images adheres to the Codes of Ethics outlined by the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA). We are enthusiastic collectors ourselves of Antiquarian treasures and are happy to share our knowledge, discuss issues and provide information and assistance, both in general and about items we offer for sale. Thank you Simon & Andrea Mayers. Since purchasing online does not give the opportunity to examine our merchandise directly we strive to give you as much information as possible in the description, condition report and images supplied for each item. We value our customers highly and will make every effort to satisfy all issues that arise. Track Page Views With. Auctiva’s FREE Counter. The item “1638 Mercator Hondius Old, Antique Map The Lorraine Region, France Moselle, Meuse” is in sale since Friday, May 11, 2018. This item is in the category “Antiques\Maps, Atlases & Globes\Europe Maps”. The seller is “searching01″ and is located in Ivanhoe, VIC. This item can be shipped worldwide.
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Comments Off | October 31st, 2018
